9/22/13

It's a very busy time of year, Lord,
and some days it seems there's no end
to the meetings, the problems, the calls,
the emails, the requests, the demands, the work...

But it's that "good" kind of busy
that satisfies and delights,
the kind of busy that builds and strengthens
everything that's important, large and small,
seen and unseen...

Maybe it's because I'm not lost in all that's going on
that I have a keener eye these days for those who are,
for those whose plates are piled high with problems,
whose schedules are laden with difficulties,
whose days are longer than 24 hours could possibly be,
whose hope is drained and who've tired of searching
for the light at the end of their tunnel...

I pray for these folks, Lord, this Monday morning...

For those who don't know where to turn or go
I pray you take their hand and be their guide
and gently lead them to the peace I trust
you have in store of them...

For those who grieve and mourn
I pray you lift their hearts in faith
and soothe the aching loss
and smooth the rough and broken edges...

For those who bear the burden
of troubles in their families, in their homes,
I pray you touch their lives with patience, understanding,
and the healing of relationships to reconcile
what's divided and undone...

For those who need work, whose funds are low,
who struggle just to make ends meet,
I pray you help them find a job, a good one,
and give them peace of mind in all their worries...

For those who are alone (with friends or without them)
and for those who hide from those who seek to love them,
I pray your touch will open up their hearts
to welcome in the people in their lives who truly care...

For those whose health is failing in body and in spirit,
who tire of the pain and the mystery of their illness,
I pray you heal their souls with sweet anointing
and their bodies with the strength that only you can give...

For those who live in secret with their nightmares,
whose lack of trust imprisons them alone,
I pray you shine the light of truth upon their fears
and free them for peace within arm's reach...

For those who struggle in their faith and long
to find in you the peace their hearts desire,
I pray your Spirit fill their minds with counsel
and nourish in their souls a hunger for your grace...

For those not treated justly, Lord,
who suffer prejudice and insult,
I pray they come to know in you their dignity
their worth and value in your sight and in your heart...

And help me, Lord, in any way I can,
to ease the burdens and the pain of those around me,
to lift up those bowed down
and to bring your healing peace to those who need it...

Receive my Monday morning prayer, Lord,
in these busy days of fall
and help me make the time
to come to you in prayer with all my needs
and the needs of those whose paths cross mine this week...

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.